Ein Bericht über Vergnügen

Kapitel 75

"This is what the master gave you. You can wear the flashlight when you go outside. Otherwise, it's too cold outside and too hot inside, and your hands will get frostbite."

Yi Chun slipped her hand inside, and it was indeed warm and soft, very comfortable. Thinking back to how Shu Jun had held her hand and looked it over from left to right, she immediately understood what he meant.

“…Thank you.” Yichun lowered her head, stroking the soft, smooth fur of the chinchilla, unsure of what else to say.

"No need to thank me, the master is more than happy to give it to you. Even if you asked for all his possessions, he would give them to you without batting an eye!"

Little Pumpkin is exaggerating.

As soon as he finished speaking, the door to the inner room opened, and Shu Jun, dressed in an ivory-white robe, walked in. He has always loved beauty and cleanliness, and probably had even washed his hands and face by now, looking refreshed.

"I'd still frown if I had all my assets," he said, seemingly unconvinced. "But maybe I'd consider it if it were half."

Little Pumpkin made a face at him and rushed to the kitchen to cook dinner.

It gets dark very early here in the snow-capped mountains. By the time Little Pumpkin finished preparing dinner, it was already completely dark outside.

Shu Jun carried a pot of wine to the grave under the tree, poured the wine onto the tombstone, and whispered, "Your favorite strong liquor, drink your fill today."

He wore a dark black sable scarf around his neck, which, reflected in the snow-covered ground, gave Yichun an inexplicable sense of desolation.

She walked over slowly, unsure of what to say.

Shu Jun then took out a small cloth bag from his bosom. Inside was nothing but the wooden Guanyin he had carved with a knife by Dongjiang Lake last time, now fully completed. The Guanyin's hair was styled in a misty bun, and she wore magnificent robes and long silks. Although it was just a wooden carving, it was lifelike and exceptionally beautiful.

He squatted down and slowly brushed away the snow in front of the tomb with his hands. Underneath the snow were more than a dozen wooden Guanyin statues, each with a different shape, some smiling, some angry, some wearing long skirts, and some wearing tight-fitting clothes. If they were magnified several times, one would really suspect that they were celestial beings descended to earth.

“I’ve brought my mother to see you too.”

Shu Jun spoke calmly, stuffed the newly carved figurine back into the snow and buried it again, then knelt down and kowtowed three times.

Yichun quickly followed suit, bowing and making a gesture of respect; she couldn't just stand there like an idiot.

Seeing that Shu Jun finished kowtowing and got up to leave, she asked curiously, "Aren't you going to burn some paper money and incense?"

His smile was tinged with sarcasm: "This man has always been aloof, regarding money and fame as dirt. I suppose he wouldn't want any money even in the afterlife."

Yichun knew nothing about his background and could only stand there blankly.

Shu Jun let out a long breath, and the white mist immediately flew away with the wind.

"Let's go inside and have a drink."

The liquor is a pungent, spicier kind that goes deep into the body. Yichun can occasionally drink some light liquors like rice wine or pear blossom wine, but he is completely at a loss when it comes to spicier liquor, and he can hardly bring himself to drink it even when he holds the cup.

Shu Jun said calmly, "As you know, the Yan Clan once had a junior sect leader, who was the current sect leader's younger brother and Yan Yufei's uncle. He was a very powerful figure, but unfortunately, he died before he could complete his grand ambitions, and his death was quite tragic."

She nodded silently and took a small sip of the strong liquor.

“He died at the hands of Shu Chang, who is my father.”

At this point, he smiled slightly, his eyes darting around: "He's a very strange person."

He was—at least once a—a chivalrous knight-errant who lived a life of integrity and sought only to settle scores and seek revenge.

Although he remained unknown in the martial arts world until his death, the things he did were quite remarkable. For example, he killed the young master of the Yan Clan, and when he was extremely impoverished, he slaughtered the entire Shao family, the richest family in Pingjiang Prefecture, in order to amass wealth. To this day, the authorities have still not found out who the murderer is.

He could utter lines like, "A young disciple, an old man in the martial world, seeking only the thrill of swordplay," with a dashing demeanor and bright eyes.

Alternatively, one could slump dejectedly in the garbage, reeking of its stench, muttering to oneself, "The joys and sorrows of life are all in vain; only fame, fortune, and wealth are true principles."

When he was a young hero, he was so full of vigor and ambition. The stunningly beautiful Guanyin with misty hair, Zhen Pinpin, was devoted to him and he was willing to die for her, not caring about wearing simple clothes.

They had a son.

When his son was ten years old, he was still poor and destitute, spending his days wandering the world with his sword, living the life of a hermit. He even refused the invitation from the Yan Clan and killed their young sect leader, causing his family to wander around to avoid being hunted down.

He possessed unparalleled martial arts skills, yet he refused to enter the world of mortals to make a living, and rejected a mundane and ordinary life.

Zhen Pinpin abandoned her husband and children and disappeared without a trace. The beautiful figure of the misty-haired Guanyin could no longer be found in the vast sea of people.

For most women, being able to eat and sleep peacefully is more reliable than wandering the world.

There was no rice or grain at home, and the child could only cry from hunger. There was no money at home, and the sick child could only huddle under the covers, shivering.

When the child turned thirteen, he was so hungry that he was dizzy. So they stole two steamed buns from the foot of the mountain and gave one to him.

Shu Chang cried all night that night.

He went down the mountain the next day and returned a month later, covered in dried blood and with a vacant look in his eyes. Behind him were four or five large boxes filled with gold and silver jewelry.

Finally, I don't have to steal steamed buns anymore, and I don't have to go down the mountain to pick up rotten vegetable leaves to cook porridge.

When the child was fourteen, he had grown taller, almost as tall as him. His features were just like his mother's, both pure and beautiful.

Shu Chang sighed repeatedly at her sword. After she finished sighing, she looked up at him and said softly, "Pinpin, I did something wrong. I killed people who didn't know martial arts. I can't live like this anymore."

When the child was fifteen, Shu Chang drew his sword and committed suicide. After his death, he left only a letter, which he wanted to be buried at the door of the house so that Pinpin could see him as soon as she returned.

After finishing his drink, Shu Jun put down his glass and looked up at Yi Chun. She seemed a little drunk, her face flushed, but she remained quiet and didn't say a word.

He continued, picking up where he left off: "He's an oddball—nothing else to say, he's a failure as both a husband and a father."

That was his general assessment of his father, with nothing else to say, leaving Yichun at a loss for words.

After a while, she whispered, "At least... he has a good son."

Shu Jun laughed, his face flushed like a peach blossom, probably from drinking too much, his eyes shining strangely.